Xbox One more popular than PS4, says Amazon

With both consoles set to launch later this year, online retailer Amazon has claimed the Xbox One is proving more popular with gamers ahead of launch than the rival PS4.

Suggesting that, although precise release dates and pricing info for the two consoles have yet to be formally announced, interest in both the Xbox One and PS4, Amazon has revealed Microsoft’s next-gen console has received marginally more pre-orders than the Sony device, despite being formally unveiled some three months later.

“Fans of rival systems Xbox and PlayStation are rushing to preorder the forthcoming new consoles, with the two devices currently sitting in first and second place in the PC and Video Games chart,” an official Amazon spokesperson said. They added: “The Xbox One is currently just edging out the PlayStation 4 with 2.3 per cent higher sales.”

Claiming that the pre-order figures for the two upcoming devices are near enough neck-and-neck, Amazon has revealed that Xbox One pre-orders are 20 per cent higher than they were for the Xbox 360 launch eight years ago.

“It’s not clear yet which of the two will have the edge when they launch later this year,” Xavier Garambois, VP of Retail at Amazon EU said. “What’s certain, though, is that fans are already excited about how the next generation of consoles will change the world of gaming and home entertainment.”

With both Microsoft and Sony to hold individual pre-E3 press conferences this evening in order to share further details on their next-gen gamers, recent reports have suggested that the PS4 price will be around £250 when the console hits retailers later this year.

Both tipped to hit retailers in the weeks leading up to the Christmas period, both Sony and Microsoft have heaped much focus on the multimedia capabilities of their upcoming consoles, highlighting that the PS4 and Xbox One will be home entertainment devices, not merely console reiterations.

“Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are set to have a huge impact, not just in terms of cutting edge games but also as part of the way in which families enjoy home entertainment,” Amazon’s Head of Video Games, Ketu Patel said. “It will be fascinating to see how the battle between the two console giants develops over the coming months – the fight for who’s going to be the must-have Christmas present is only just beginning.”